Speeding pigeon clocks 45KPH; is fined US$28

A pigeon was snapped by a speed camera in the German town of Becholt this weekend

The photo of the speeding bird has gone viral on social media

The pigeon’s wings triggered the camera, which usually catches drivers not birds

Officials are unsure what to do with US$28 speeding fine

A pigeon has been snapped by a speed camera going at 45-kilometres-per-hour in the German town of Bechot.

The pigeon – who was in a 30-kilometre-per-hour zone – and its wings triggered the speed camera, prompting the photo of the unusual speedster. Officials then put the image up on social media, and the rest is viral history.

The bird was caught on film back in February, but the picture was only shared this weekend after city authorities figured out what exactly had triggered the camera.

German law dictates that each driver gets a 3-kilometre correction speed. However the pigeon was still going 12-kilometres-per-hour faster than the speed limit the street allows.

According to Becholt traffic officials, the usual fine for this sort of infraction is US$28-dollars (25 euros). However they are unsure as to how they would go about claiming the fine back even if they were to find him.

A city spokesperson said, “Whether the speedy bird wants to pay the fine, and above all how, remains an open question”.

“However, the city authorities do not ant to launch a survey of possible witnesses”.

Despite setting off the speed camera, this individual pigeon doesn’t seem particularly faster than the norm. Pigeons fly at an average speed of 125-kilometres per-hour (and up to 6,000 feet). The fastest pigeon ever recorded was clocked at 149-kilometres-per-hour.

The Bocholt pigeon is not the first bird to be snapped by a speed camera. Last year a duck was caught flying 13-kilometres over the limit in the Swiss Canton of Bern.